System with a surgical needle and a handle

ABSTRACT

In a system with a surgical needle and a handle, the surgical needle has in its proximal end-section, lying opposite the needle tip, a holding section ( 14 ), which is set up for insertion into the handle. The handle has a channel ( 32 ), set up for holding the holding section ( 14 ) of the surgical needle, and a locking device ( 50, 70 ) with a locking element ( 50 ) which is displaceable in longitudinal direction of the channel ( 32 ) from a locking position, in which the holding section ( 14 ) is fixed to the handle, into a release position, in which the holding section ( 14 ) can be pulled out from the channel ( 32 ).

[0001] The invention relates to a system with a surgical needle and ahandle.

[0002] There are surgical techniques in which thick to very thicksurgical needles are used, e.g. needles with a diameter of 2 mm to 7 mm.Such needles are used for example in order to insert a tape underneaththe urethra of a patient for the treatment of stress incontinence.

[0003] Such a large needle can often be handled by the operator onlywith difficulty. If the needle is guided through tissue, considerableforces arise. The operator can admittedly use a needle holder or aforceps-like surgical instrument when handling the needle. However, as arule, he often has to reattach this instrument to the needle, which isawkward. Furthermore, unfavourable leverage conditions can occur, inparticular if the instrument runs at an angle to the needle.

[0004] In the case of a previously known system with a surgical needleand a handle, the handle to which the proximal end-region of the needlelying opposite the tip of the needle is attached facilitates handling. Ascrew screwed into the proximal face of the needle serves to secure it.In order to pull the needle completely through the body tissue of thepatient, the needle has to be detached from the handle. This is awkward,however, because to do this the screw has to be unscrewed first.

[0005] It is the object of the invention to provide a possibility offacilitating the handling of a surgical needle, in particular a thicksurgical needle.

[0006] This object is achieved by a system with a surgical needle and ahandle with the features of claim 1. Advantageous versions of theinvention emerge from the dependent claims. Claim 15 relates to asurgical needle and claim 16 to a handle which are set up for such asystem.

[0007] The system according to the invention contains a surgical needleand a handle. In its proximal end-region lying opposite the needle tip,the surgical needle has a holding section which is set up for insertioninto the handle. The handle has a channel set up for holding the holdingsection of the surgical needle and a locking device. The locking devicehas a locking element which is displaceable in longitudinal direction ofthe channel from a locking position in which the holding section isattached to the handle, into a release position in which the holdingsection can be pulled out from the channel.

[0008] If the holding section is locked at or fixed to the handle, thesurgical needle is firmly and securely connected to the handle. In thisposition, the handle substantially facilitates the handling of theneedle. Thus, e.g., the needle can be held and guided with the help ofthe handle if it is moved towards the tissue of a patient, placed inposition there and pushed through. The suture material, the tape or asimilar object which is to be pulled through the tissue with the help ofthe needle, can be attached to the shaft of the surgical needle betweenthe holding section and the needle tip, preferably near the holdingsection, e.g. with the help of a shrink-on tube. For this purpose thesurgical needle preferably has, distal to the holding section, anattachment section for a suture material, tape or similar, e.g. asection of the shaft, provided with grooves, which can also be providedwith a step, against which e.g. the shrink-on tube lies, in order tofacilitate a continuous transition between the shaft and the suturematerial, tape or similar.

[0009] If the surgical needle has penetrated the body roughly up to theshoulder of the handle, the needle tip has already left the tissue atthe desired point where it or the section of the shaft following theneedle tip can be gripped manually by the operator (or with a customaryinstrument). At this time, the locking element can be moved quickly andin a user-friendly manner from the locking position into the releaseposition, so that the needle can be pulled out of the handle withoutjerking and expending little force (or conversely the handle can bepulled off the needle). The needle can be pulled fully through thetissue, after the release of the handle, with the suture material, tapeor similar attached to the needle.

[0010] The surgical needle can have a diameter of 2 mm to 7 mm, howeveranother diameter is also conceivable.

[0011] The holding section of the surgical needle preferably deviatesfrom a circular form at least in part of its cross-section, and thechannel of the handle is matched in its cross-section to the holdingsection to secure the surgical needle against twisting. This designmakes it possible in an easy way to connect the needle to the handle,secured against rotation.

[0012] The channel preferably extends from an opening in the distal endarea of the handle, and the holding section of the surgical needle isset up for longitudinal insertion into this opening.

[0013] In a preferred version of the invention, the holding section ofthe surgical needle has at least one recess, in which in the lockingposition at least one blocking element provided on the locking device ofthe handle engages. The blocking element is mounted moveabletransversely to the longitudinal direction of the channel, the lockingelement blocking a movement of the blocking element when in the lockingposition, but freeing it when in the release position. The blockingelement preferably includes a ball which projects, when in the lockingposition, into the internal space of the channel and, when the needle isinserted, engages in the recess at the holding section of the needle.The channel is preferably formed in a metal sleeve, the ball guided in arecess in the wall of the metal sleeve, and the diameter of the ball isgreater than the thickness of the wall in the area of the recess. Thelocking element can have a sleeve which can be displaced in longitudinaldirection of the metal sleeve and which surrounds the metal sleeve,which sleeve has a conical inner surface in the area of the ball andengages against the ball when in the locking position and permits aradial shift of the ball when in the release position.

[0014] This preferred design of the invention allows for a convenientand secure handling of the surgical needle. When needed, the lockingelement can be conveniently and quickly pushed into the release positionwith the help of an activating element provided on the handle, so thatthe surgical needle can be released from the handle with slight exertionof force. A further advantage of this version is that plastic can beused as basic material for the handle; through the use of the metalsleeve (which can be cheaply produced) the highly-stressed channel areaacquires a stability which is sufficient to secure the holding sectionof the surgical needle.

[0015] Preferably, a spring biases the locking element into the lockingposition. This guarantees that, in normal position, the surgical needleis locked at the handle. In addition, a safety device can be provided onthe handle which is set up to secure the locking element against anunintentional movement into the release position (which could occur evenagainst the spring force). In order to activate the safety device, anergonomically designed activating element is preferably provided whichcan be coupled with the activating element for displacing the lockingelement.

[0016] The handle is preferably made substantially from plastic and canbe designed as a disposable article. It preferably has a multi-parthousing, so that the locking device can be fitted without any problems.

[0017] In a preferred version of the invention, the handle has at leastone widening structure in the area of its proximal end, which allows thehandle to rest comfortably in the palm of the hand or against the ballof the hand of the operator. The handle can additionally have at leastone finger-rest structure, e.g. two wing-like structures extending onopposite sides, which run parallel to the widening structure and withthe help of which the operator can e.g. pull the handle onto the palm ofhis hand with the index finger and the middle finger, so that it restssecurely in his hand. A further advantage of this version can beobserved when the needle is bent. The operator can then deduce from theposition of the widening structure or the finger-rest structure thedirection in which the front (distal) section of the needle is running.

[0018] The invention is explained in more detail in the following, usingan embodiment. The drawings show in

[0019]FIG. 1 an exploded view of a version of the system according tothe invention,

[0020]FIG. 2 a top view of the handle of the version from FIG. 1 whenfitted,

[0021]FIG. 3 a side view of the handle of the version from FIG. 1 whenfitted,

[0022]FIG. 4 a longitudinal section through a slightly modified versionof the handle when fitted,

[0023]FIG. 5 a longitudinal section through the distal area of thehandle with the surgical needle inserted, which illustrates the lockingposition, and

[0024]FIG. 6 a longitudinal section through the distal area of thehandle with the surgical needle inserted, which illustrates the releaseposition.

[0025]FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a version of a system with asurgical needle 1 and a handle 2 and shows the individual parts of theembodiment.

[0026] The surgical needle 1, which forms a component of the system, hasa needle tip 10 at its distal end. Connected to this is a shaft 12 whichis bent in the embodiment and has a maximum diameter of 5 mm. In itsproximal end-section the needle 1 has a holding section 14, which isdesigned with a hexagonal cross-section. A groove-like recess 16 extendsover the circumference of the holding section 14 (see also FIG. 5 andFIG. 6).

[0027] Represented in the lower part of FIG. 1 are four parts of thehandle 2 which, in the embodiment, are each made in one piece fromplastic, namely a housing part 20, a handle end-piece 22, a lockingelement 24 and an activating element 26. How these parts as well as ametal sleeve 30, which is shown in the upper part of FIG. 1, areassembled, can be best seen from an over-all view of FIGS. 1 to 4. Inshort, the metal sleeve 30 is located in the housing part 20 and is,like the handle end-piece 22, firmly connected to it; the lockingelement 24 and the activating element 26 are locked together and can bedisplaced in longitudinal direction of the handle 1 relative to theother parts.

[0028] The metal sleeve 30 consists of stainless steel, in theembodiment. Extending in longitudinal direction from its open distal end31 is a channel 32 which has a hexagonal cross-section in its distalsection and can accommodate the holding section 14 of the needle 1completely and securely against rotation. The metal sleeve 30 contains aprojecting collar 34 in its central area and an internal thread foraccommodating a screw in the area of its proximal end 35. In theproximity of the distal end 31, the wall 36 of the metal sleeve 30 isprovided with two recesses 38, see also FIG. 6. The cross-section of theholding section 14 and the cross-section of the channel 32 matched tothis, deviate from the shape of an equilateral hexagon, so that theneedle 1 can be inserted into the channel 32 only in an unequivocal way.

[0029] With the help of a screw 40 which is screwed into the internalthread at the proximal end 35 of the metal sleeve 30, the metal sleeve30 is attached to the proximal end-section 42 of the housing part 20.The metal sleeve 30 is secured against rotation by a flattened area nearits proximal end 35.

[0030] The housing part 20 contains two finger-rest structures 44 and45, at the end of each of which a locking projection 46 is located. Thelocking projections 46 project into corresponding recesses on the handleend-piece 22, in order to connect the handle end-piece 22 firmly to thehousing part 20. Furthermore, the wall of the housing part 20 isprovided with a slit 48 and an identical slit lying diametrally oppositethis.

[0031] The locking element 24, which is designed in one piece in theembodiment, but which in principle can also consist of several parts,has in its distal section a sleeve 50 which, when fitted, surrounds themetal sleeve 30. Two spring tongues 52 extend from the sleeve 50, whichare each provided with a locking projection 54 at their ends, and twoguiding parts 56 and 57, which are somewhat longer than the springtongues 52. When the handle 2 is fitted, the locking projections 54project through the slits 48.

[0032] A compression spring 58, which is guided by the metal sleeve 30and rests against it (not shown in FIG. 4), presses against the lockingelement 24, so that the locking element 24 is so pre-stressed that inthe “normal state” (i.e. without exposure to external force) it isdisplaced in proximal direction relative to the metal sleeve 30 (lockingposition, see FIG. 5).

[0033] The activating element 26 contains two side parts 60 and 61,which extend from an end piece 62 and are provided with gripping grooves64 on their outsides. A locking recess 66 is located on the insides ofeach of the side parts 60 and 61. When fitted, the locking recesses 66are locked with the locking projections 54 projecting through the slits48. The activating element 26 and the locking element 24 are therebyconnected to each other. In order to displace the locking element 24with the help of the activating element 26 relative to the housing part20 and the metal sleeve 30 and against the force of the compressionspring 58, the two side parts 60 and 61 of the activating element 26must be pressed against each other in order to release a catch arrangedon the locking projections 54 and the slits 48 (not shown in detail inthe figures). This serves as safety device, so that the locking element24 cannot be displaced by mistake. The design of the activating element26 with the two side parts 60 and 61 and the gripping grooves 64 isergonomic and allows a problem-free operation with surgical gloves.

[0034] The mode of operation of the locking device is obvious from FIGS.5 and 6; it enables the surgical needle 1 to be either connected firmlyand securely to the handle 2 or else released, so that it can be pulledout of the channel 32 without any problems.

[0035]FIG. 5 shows the locking position in which the holding section 14is secured to the handle 2. A ball 70 is guided in each of the recesses38, which extend in the area of the channel 32 and the holding section14 through the wall 36 of the metal sleeve 30. As the recesses 38 aredesigned in a slightly conical manner, the balls 70 cannot fall inwardsinto the channel 32. A radial movement outwards is possible, on theother hand, the sleeve 50 preventing the ball in question 70 fromemerging fully from the recess 38. In the area of the balls 70, thesleeve 50 has a conical inner surface 72. In the locking position, theconical inner surface 72 lies against the balls 70, while the balls 70engage in the recess 16 on the holding section 14 of the needle 1. Asthe balls 70 cannot escape outwards in this position, the needle 1cannot be pulled out of the channel 32. In this position, it is thussecurely and firmly connected to the handle 2.

[0036] If the two side parts 60 and 61 of the activating element 26 arepressed against each other and the explained safety device is therebyreleased, the locking element 24 with the sleeve 50 can be displacedrelative to the metal sleeve 30, that is to the left in therepresentation according to FIGS. 5 and 6. When the release positionshown in FIG. 6 is reached, the balls 70 are no longer prevented frommoving outwards radially. The needle 1 can therefore be pulled out ofthe channel 32, the groove-like recess 16 pressing the balls 70 radiallyoutwards.

1. System with a surgical needle (1) and a handle (2), wherein thesurgical needle (1) in its proximal end-section lying opposite theneedle tip (10) has a holding section (14) which is adapted forinsertion into the handle (2), and wherein the handle (2) has a channel(32), adapted for holding the holding section (14) of the surgicalneedle (1), and a locking device (24, 70) with a locking element (24),which is displaceable in longitudinal direction of the channel (32) froma locking position, in which the holding section (14) is fixed to thehandle (2), into a release position, in which the holding section (14)can be pulled out from the channel (32).
 2. System according to claim 1,characterized in that the holding section (14) of the surgical needle(1) deviates from a circular form in its cross-section, at least in apartial area, and the channel (32) of the handle (2) is matched in itscross-section to the holding section (14) to secure the surgical needle(1) against twisting.
 3. System according to claim 1 or 2, characterizedin that the channel (32) extends from an opening in the distal end areaof the handle (2) and the holding section (14) of the surgical needle(2) is adapted for longitudinal insertion into this opening.
 4. Systemaccording to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the holdingsection (14) of the surgical needle (1) has at least one recess (16), inwhich in the locking position at least one blocking element (70)provided on the locking device (24, 70) of the handle (2) engages. 5.System according to claim 4, characterized in that the blocking element(70) is mounted moveable transversely to the longitudinal direction ofthe channel (32), the locking element (24) blocking a movement of theblocking element (70) when in the locking position, but freeing it whenin the release position.
 6. System according to claim 5, characterizedin that the blocking element includes a ball (70) which projects, whenin the locking position, into the internal space of the channel (32)and, when the needle (1) is inserted, engages in the recess (16) at theholding section (14) of the needle (1)
 7. System according to claim 6,characterized in that the channel (32) is formed in a metal sleeve (30),the ball (70) is guided in a recess (38) in the wall (36) of the metalsleeve (30) and the diameter of the ball (70) is greater than thethickness of the wall (36) in the area of the recess (38).
 8. Systemaccording to claim 7, characterized in that the locking element (24) hasa sleeve (50) displaceable in longitudinal direction of the metal sleeve(30) and surrounding the metal sleeve (30), which sleeve (50) has aconical inner surface (72) in the area of the ball (70) and engagesagainst the ball (70) when in the locking position, and permits a radialshift of the ball (70) when in the release position.
 9. System accordingto one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that a spring (58) biases thelocking element (24) into the locking position.
 10. System according toone of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that a safety device is providedon the handle (2), which is adapted to secure the locking element (24)against an unintentional movement into the release position.
 11. Systemaccording to claim 10, characterized in that the safety device has anergonomically designed activating element (26).
 12. System according toone of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the handle (2) has at leastone widening structure (22) in the area of its proximal end.
 13. Systemaccording to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the handle (2)has at least one finger-rest structure (42, 45).
 14. System according toone of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the surgical needle (1)has, distal to the holding section (14), an attachment section for asuture material, tape or similar.
 15. Surgical needle which is set upfor a system with a surgical needle (1) and a handle (2) according toone of claims 1 to
 14. 16. Handle which is set up for a system with asurgical needle (1) and a handle (2) according to one of claims 1 to 14.